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Parshas Vayakhel-Pekudei-HaChodesh

The Science Of The Mishkan

FRIDAY NIGHT:

They brought the Mishkan to Moshe, and the Tent and all of its
implements . . . (Shemos 39:33)

In Parashas Terumah, we discussed how the Mishkan, being the
rectification for the golden calf, was really a guide to achieve
personal perfection. For, as the rabbis teach, each Jew was supposed
to have been his own personal Mishkan, a merit we lost through the
golden calf. That reality was transferred over the physical structure
for the entire people, the Mishkan.

Therefore, every aspect of the Mishkan is a lesson, from the
materials that were used, to their dimensions, and to where they were
placed. But, perhaps one of the most important lessons that Mishkan
teaches, especially today, comes out of the following Rashi:

They brought the Mishkan to Moshe, and the Tent and all of its
implements . . . (Shemos 39:33)

They were unable to set it up, and since Moshe had not performed any
work for it, The Holy One, Blessed is He, left that for him. No
person was able to set it up because of the weight of the boards; no
one had the strength to stand them up, but Moshe did it. Moshe said
to G-d, "How can it be set up by man?" He answered him, "Let your
hands be busy with setting it up and it will stand up on its own . .
=2E" (Rashi)

This is very hard to understand. Six hundred thousand men between
twenty and sixty years of age who were unable to figure out some way
to put the boards of the Mishkan in place? After all, they had no
problem taking the Mishkan apart and transporting the boards . . .

This is because the Mishkan was not just a microcosm of the world,
but it was specifically the representation of the world of the Jew,
and therefore only G-d could assemble it.. It's center piece was the
Holy Ark in the Holy of Holies, which we are told, took more space
than was physical present there (Megillah 10b).

And that was the entire point. The golden calf represented a rush
back into the Egyptian world of Nature and materialism. The Mishkan
represented our re-birth as the Jewish nation, a second time of
leaving Egypt. Therefore, the Mishkan was not meant to be part of
this world, but an encounter with the supernatural, and Purim was
another example of this.

Indeed, the whole concept of Purim is based upon the lots (pur) that
Haman drew to destroy the Jewish people. Statistically speaking, he
should have succeeded, and would have succeeded had he schemed
against another nation in the world. The story of Purim and the
reality of the Mishkan come to imprint in our minds and on our
hearts: when it comes to the Jewish people, it is the laws of the
supernatural, not those of the scientific world that ultimately
govern the destiny and well-being of the descendants of Avraham,
Yitzchak, and Ya'akov.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

SHABBOS DAY:

But Sarah was barren, she had no child. (Bereishis 11:30)

That is, "even a place (i.e., a womb) for a child she lacked." (Yevamos 64a)

And she conceived anyhow. What are the chances of THAT?
Statistics are much more of an everyday reality than most people
know, or even care to know. We wake up each morning based upon them,
eat what we do because of them, and even dare to cross the road or
drive our cars because of statistics. Whatever risks we are willing
to take to live our lives to the fullest we can have statistics built
into them, somewhere, somehow. What ARE they anyhow?

STATISTICS: facts or data of a numerical kind, assembled, classified,
and tabulated so as to present significant information about a given
subject. (Webster's New World dictionary)

For, life can be dangerous, and potential loss is always just around
the corner, or so it seems. Thus, as humans who choose to hang onto
life and gain, as opposed to lose, we like to move with a certain
amount of certainty. Life in this world, a world we did not design
or create, is risky enough as is. So if there is a way to reduce that
risk, if not actually then at least psychology, what can go wrong?

Well, for one, statistically-speaking, what are the odds that
Creation occurred the way it is taught in the Torah? What are the
odds that Noach built an ark and that it really saved him from the
Flood as described in Sefer Bereishis? And what are the statistics on
the story of the Exodus, and the chances that the Red Sea really
split for the Jewish people, into twelve lanes yet, as recorded in
the Five Books of Moses?

The odds are not good. Not good at all.

In fact, if statistical probability was the only reliable determiner
of truth, as many swear it is today, there would be no way to believe
anything the Torah says -(as they would like to believe). But, it
turns out, there is another concept at play in the universe:

MIRACLE: an event or action that apparently contradicts known
scientific laws, and is hence, thought to be due to supernatural
causes, especially an act of G-d. (Ibid.)

Oxymoron's, they are, statistics and miracle. And, what's worst is
that history seems to bounce back-and-forth between the two of them.
There are times, it seems, when statistical law rules the universe
and the future can be predicted with some kind of accuracy if certain
causes and effects are known in advance.

And yet, it seems that statistical law is sometimes suspended, and in
spite of the natural laws we have come to learn and respect, events
happen that seem to fly in their faces. In such situations the
scientists and statisticians are left clutching their precise
mathematical calculations in one hand while scratching their heads
with the other, wondering which rule it was they misunderstood or
forgot to take into account. But, of course, they remain ardently
hard-pressed to use the "M" word, something that in the world of
science can be the equivalent of being sacrilege.

Thus, there are some scientists who try hard to show how NATURALLY
miracles, such as the Red Sea splitting for the Jewish people just in
time to escape the oncoming and murderous Egyptian army, can occur.
And, likewise, there are religionists who try to show just how
statistically sound miracles can be, so much so that someone who
"reveals" something remarkable whose statistics are not
mathematically impressive is called, "on the fringe."

It's as if, all of a sudden, there is an eleventh commandment:

Thou shalt not make a big deal of the support of Torah that is not
agreeable to the scientists of your time.

If scientific "laws" are G-dly at all, it is only because they were
made by G-d. However, to assume that G-d lives by the same rules,
especially when it comes to the Jewish people, is to ignore the main
tenet of the Jewish people, that being, as we shall discuss.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

SEUDAH SHLISHIS:

Many are the plans of man, but it is the design of G-d that lasts.
(Mishlei 19:21)

The funny thing about the Jewish people is that they seem so =E6
natural. True, it is remarkable that we are still here, but it's not
like Jews walk inches above the ground and snap their fingers to
bring about miraculous results in full view of the rest of the world.
For the most part, the Jewish nation seems just like the rest of the
nations of the world, with differences that seem to work against us,
not for us.

That is - an illusion. Anything natural and normal about the Jewish
people is a Heavenly trick to maintain the appearance of being
natural for the sake of maintaining free-will. For:

. . . The entire reality of the Jewish people is completely above
nature . . . Klal Yisroel has no root or foundation in this world.
(Sha'arei Leshem, p. 334)

What does this mean? It means that, our Forefathers were conceived
supernaturally, as it says in the Talmud:

Rebi Yitzchak said, "Yitzchak Avinu was unable to procreate, as it
says, 'And Yitzchak entreated G-d opposite his wife' (Bereishis
25:21). It does not say 'concerning his wife,' but 'opposite his
wife.' Inferring from this that both of them were unable to have
children . . . Rav Nachman in the name of Rabbah bar Avuhah said,
"Our mother Sarah was barren, as it says, 'But Sarah was barren, she
had no child' (Bereishis 11:30), that is, even a place (i.e., a womb)
for a child she lacked." (Yevamos 64a)

Yet, here we are, descendants of Avraham and Sarah, Yitzchak and
Rivkah, and Ya'akov, Rachel, and also Leah. What are the odds of
THAT? Indeed, even our enemies have marveled about the prolonged
existence of our people, which, by ALL odds we should have
assimilated and intermarried ourselves into oblivion by now (after
3,000 plus years), or wiped out by the hands of our many enemies who
have tried countless times over the millennia to exterminate the
Jewish people.

True, the Talmud warns that the Jewish people can, as a result of
leaving Torah and mitzvos descend into the world of mazel (Shabbos
156b), a more naturally-governed world. This would mean, therefore,
that they may find themselves in a world that IS governed by
scientific law, and become subject to statistics. But even then, say
the Mekubalim, there is still an element of miracle to their
survival, though it is far less obvious (people survived for years
during the Holocaust on rations on which the average person, could
not have survived on for one month).

Thus, what many seem to forget in their rush to please the scientific
world or those who worship it, is that even odds as great as 64
trillion to one mean nothing when G-d is that One. If G-d runs the
world, maintains it, and orchestrates history, then there is always
the potential for the unexpected, the unpredicted to come through.
And not just in Hollywood, but also in real life.

For, as the posuk says:

Many are the plans of man, but it is the design of G-d that lasts.
(Mishlei 19:21)

In other words, we can THINK we understand Creation and its history,
and therefore we BELIEVE that we know what makes sense and what does
not make sense, but at the end of the day, we are often quite wrong.
This is, for the most part, what the following dialogue means. It
took place between Rebi Yehoshua ben Levi and his son who had
returned from the brink of death. When the father asked the son what
he saw while unconscious, he answered:

"An upside down world. What is up over here is down over there, and
the opposite is true as well."

To which the father replied:

"No, my son. In truth, you saw the real world. It is this world that
is upside down." (Pesachim 50a)

Thus, G-d warns man:

For My thoughts are not your thoughts and your ways are not My ways =E6
the word of G-d. (Yeshayahu 55:8)

Hence, there's no second-guessing G-d.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

MELAVE MALKAH:

Let me tell you a story that happened today, in the middle of writing
this parashah sheet. I was inspired to write this based upon an
incident that occurred on Sunday, but I didn't get the inspiration
until 10:15 this morning, Tuesday. I began to write it 20 minutes
later, and got as far as the definition of a miracle when I realized
it was 10:55. In five minutes I had to give a shiur around the block
from my house.

Now, normally I go directly from my office to give this shiur, which
is in a little basement apartment in Telzstone where I live, but on
the other side of the building where I give my shiur. Today, due to a
series of circumstances, I was coming from my home at 10:59 am.

It is a 30 second drive from where I had parked my car to the front
door of the building where I am expected to teach each Tuesday at 11
am. So, I had no reason to speed, and being that I was going down
hill, I was moving VERY slowly. I felt quite relaxed, still somewhat
absorbed in the essay that I had begun and had to stop writing quite
abruptly.

As I passed a garbage bin on the side of the street, just prior to
making my left turn into a parking spot, all of a sudden, a group of
birds - sparrows - darted out. And although they usually move out of
the way of oncoming cars very quickly, and I was driving very slowly,
and my car hit two of them. I heard the slight thud, and cringed.

To say that I was suddenly very upset is an understatement. I have
difficulty killing flies and ants, let alone full-grown birds! We
feed the birds on a daily basis at my house (except for Shabbos and
holidays). I talk to them while feeding them, and thoroughly enjoy
watching them shift feet and branches as they excitedly anticipate
their breakfast of bread crumbs. Why did G-d let this happen to me,
and now, of all times?

I parked my car and ran back to the spot, and sure enough two birds
were lying on the ground, one on its back and one on its side. The
one on his back did not move at all, clearly dead, and the one on his
side was shaking, and that really bothered me. "How could I let him
suffer like this," I asked myself as I returned to give my shiur,
resolving to deposit my binder, excuse myself for a minute, and
return to do the dirty work of ending the bird's suffering and his
life.

As I approached the shaking bird, the one that had showed no signs of
movement, the one I had assumed was definitely dead, all of sudden,
jumped onto his feet. He then looked at me for a second, and then
flew off as if nothing was the matter. I was in mild shock. However,
the bird in front of me was clearly hurt and going nowhere fast, so
I began my search for a good size rock to do the deed.

Then it occurred to me that I should not kill him in the street, but
that I should remove him to a grassy area just off the street and
drop the rock on him there. But I certainly wasn't going to pick him
up with my hands, so I began to look for something with which to move
him. Thank G-d, someone had left a board at the side of the garbage
bin, which I easily broke into a manageable-size piece to elevate and
move the bird.

Carefully and slowly I maneuvered the board under the bird. However,
I did not get under it sufficiently, and as a result I budged him
instead - just enough for him to turn over on his feet and yes, fly
away. I stood there and watched them both fly away, straight up and
out, fast and with grace, as if nothing had happened to them.

I just stood there for a moment, already five minutes late for the
shiur. I rejoiced somewhat that I had not killed the birds after all.
I thanked G-d, returned to my shiur, and spoke about the miracle of
Purim and the connection to the Mishkan with far more enthusiasm than
I otherwise would have.

As I walked away, I asked myself, "Now, what were the odds of THAT
happening . . . especially while in the middle of an essay about
miracles, and about to give a shiur on the same subject?"

A nice story, but a shallow one perhaps, in light of the events of
the Jewish world today. In fact, miracles are not always positive.
Sometimes people die in places they never go to, except on the day
they are killed there, Rachmanah Litzlan - the wrong place at the
wrong time. Sometimes people we think are the last ones that deserve
to be taken by G-d are the first to be taken, and in ways we simply
can't fathom. The odds were not good for the "bad" (that seemed) to
happen, but it happened just the same.

Sometimes there are good miracles in the midst of the bad ones.
Sometimes there are bad ones inside of the good ones. But, they are
all miracles and, as the Talmud teaches, they are all for the good,
if not now, then ultimately. Yes, Nature is no match for G-d, and
natural rules make no sense regarding the Jewish people, Torah, and
the relationship of both to G-d. He'll break 'em all just to fulfill
His promises to Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya'akov.

Science then, as the study of natural reality, cannot ultimately get
"its arms" around the supra-natural existence of the Jewish people,
or even around the existence of the universe in general, since all of
existence is ultimately not explainable in natural terms, much to the
chagrin of many a modern man.
In recent years, we have seen science being used to prove the
validity of Torah, and of G-d Himself. This method has its place,
similar to Ya'akov donning the "hairy arms" of Eisav, to ensure that
he received the brochah from his father Yitzhak, and using "methods"
to out-maneuver his father-in-law, Lavan. This is using the "natural"
in the service of the "supra-natural."

However, we Jews have methods of understanding reality that
originates from Har Sinai, and none of those methods, including those
found in our Kabbalah, should be considered outlandish, or "on the
fringe," simply because they do not comply with today's current
scientific methods or concepts that are circumscribed due to their
human origin. With this understanding in place, we can utilize some
of the scientific methods to facilitate our search into Creation.

If we maintain this "supra-rational" orientation, we will not be
shocked like the vast majority of people, when historical reality, or
"the upside down world" winds down to its "natural" end, and is
replaced by the "right side up" world that we Jews have been pining
for, working toward, and leading the rest of humanity toward for the
last 3500 years.

That was the story of the Mishkan. That was the message of Purim. It
is alluded to by the new moon that returns each month from the throes
of oblivion. That WILL BE the message of the Haggadah, and perhaps
this year, as history seems to be heading for a climax whether we are
ready for it or not.

CHAZAK!
Have a great Shabbos,
PW

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